Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
When you master whatever it is that you have to master at work, lots of things about it can feel like common knowledge. You might think that everyone outside of the kitchen knows what’s the difference between a béarnaise and a hollandaise sauce or that everyone’s familiar with how to fix computer-related problems.
However, some things that seem fairly obvious to representatives of that specific profession might be completely out of left field for the rest. That’s what members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community recently discussed after one user asked them what is common knowledge in their profession that not a lot of people know about. If you’re curious to see what their answers were, scroll down to find them on the list below, and familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of numerous different jobs.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
That my semi-truck can't stop as fast as their car.
I need a couple football fields to slow down from highway speed, and that's in absolutely clear weather... Stop merging 13 feet in front of me & slamming on the brakes for an exit, just stay behind me and wait an extra 2 seconds so I don't kill you and endanger everyone around us.
Side note. Don't hang around too close to us either, even something as simple as one of our tires blowing up can kill/seriously injure you by itself or cause us to completely lose control of our rigs if it's a steer tire.
Sorry for being dark, but people don't realize quite how dangerous semi trucks can be.
howdylee 1 year ago
And please, if you're approaching an intersection and see that a semi is going to be turning into your lane/direction, please stop well short of the intersection and allow them to swing wide to make the turn! The few extra seconds to allow them easier passage will make everything so much better!
#2
Mental health worker. Everything you learned on TikTok was a lie. Not wrong. A lie. Take your goddamn meds.
Shark Lady 1 year ago
If you are prescribed something then you need it. Take it as directed and don't just stop, some meds need to be gradually reduced.
#3
The fashion industry is the second biggest polluter in the world behind the oil industry.
#4
Carbohydrates are not “bad”. Carbs are vital to our body and our brain loves them. Ultra-processed food is bad.
Aileen Grist 1 year ago
I agree - up to a point - ultra processed food will be the death of us - but. Where there are essential amino acids (protein) and essential fats there are no essential carbohydrates. Vitamins, minerals and fibre - all of which are found in vegetables and fruits, but carbs - no. There is a vast difference between plant based whole foods and what a lot of people think of as carbs (pasta, bread, white rice etc.)
#5
Most people will try anything but reading the instructions. I write the instructions.
#6
I work in IT
Computers are magic boxes that sometimes do what I want them to do.
I can fix them but a lot of the times I don't know why what I did worked.
Turn it off and back on again isn't just a funny saying.
#7
The lighter the coffee roast, the more caffeine it has. The darker the roast, the less it has.
guyhabit:
To elaborate a bit more, the reason dark roasts taste bitter is not because it has more caffeine, but because it’s burnt to shit and that’s just how ash-water tastes. Heat destroys caffeine, so darker roasts have the least caffeine of all.
#8
Shocking someone (like an AED or "paddles") doesn't restart your heart, it stops it.
MaroonTrucker28
People often assume the heart stops and an AED fires it back up. The heart is contracting, but ineffectively (an arrhythmia, it's basically lethally uncoordinated) and therefore not pumping any oxygenated blood to the body. Which equals death before too long. So the idea is to stop the heart so it'll reset itself to a normal rhythm.
Many films will also show CPR, and the person comes back from unconsciousness. This DOES NOT happen. The only thing CPR does is keeps pressure on the heart to pump oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. CPR is not a treatment, it's a temporary measure to keep the bodily organs oxygenated long enough to get the heart restarted via shock.
Gabriele Alfredo Pini 1 year ago
Sometimes CPR can restart the heart by giving back the rythm, but it is incredibly rare, and moreover no one can get up after getting CPR and going back to work the day after.
#9
That language isn't stationary!
I'm translator and for the last few years my native language (Ukrainian) changing a lot.
We are bringing some old words and rules back and, at the same time, creating new ones, which is awesome.
But, unfortunately, I'm hearing all the time about "truth is only in vocabulary" and "new words aren't real" and sometimes it is really pissing me off.
Languages are changing all the time! It's their nature.
Yes, there's a set of main rules and words but even they are changing from time to time.
People creating new words all the time, some of them are dissapearing with time, some staying for much longer and that's okay.
#10
Everybody sells as much information on you as legally possible. Your bank, credit card company, mortgage company, any website that required a sign on... all of them sell your data. So I can target you with ads based on if you have a hotel booked for a major destination, how many kids you have, if you're due for a new car, where you get your oil change, how much sports you watch, where you spend your time and on and on and on. It's creepy
howdylee 1 year ago
Last time I moved, I filled out a change of address form with the USPS. While living at my previous address, I married and changed my name. So new house only ever had my married name. But I filled out 2 change of address forms with maiden & married names just in case. Low and behold, I'm getting a significant amount of mail at new address with maiden name. The ONLY people that had my maiden name at new address was post office. CONVINCED they are selling the info!!!!!!!
#11
Computer clouds are just someone else’s computers. Younger folks generally get this.
Dragons Exist 1 year ago
That's why I also, along with on the cloud, keep my important stuff on several external USBs
#12
Drowning is typically quick and silent. I'm a lifeguard.
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
There was one ad campaign in Australia that showed someone drowning and was entirely silent, to show the impact. Was creepy to watch and think about!
GoGoPDX 1 year ago (edited)
It is so true. A few years back, I was swimming at a pool at a vacation community (not my cup of tea, but my SIL chose it) it was very busy. My son, who was 3at the time, liked to stay at the edge holding on. Well, we were cruising the edge of the pool, and I just happen to look down. There, right underneath me, was a little boy, around 5, struggling on the bottom of the pool. There had to be at least 5peiple around, and nobody noticed him. I pulled him up. He coughed and threw up, but was ok. I found his guardian and explained what happened. They had been too busy socializing than paying attention to their child who, in their words " he said he could swim" (believe me, I let them have it!) But if I didn't happen to look down, that kid would have more than likely drowned. It was so inconspicuous and silent, it honestly truly upset me for months, and as a nurse for over 22 years, I have seen a lot of f****d up s**t, but this, just still sends me into a slight panic
Load More Replies...
DE Ray 1 year ago
Bull. Silent, yes, but it takes minimum three minutes to drown. It's not a split second and your drowned, but a fairly long process.
B-b-bird 1 year ago
I slipped into the water once a s child... it was so silent and doubt it lasted even a second. There was not even second that I kept my head above water. It was like a slide to the bottom deeper and deeper. I had no idea how to swim and my instinct (to paddle arms/legs) did not work. To myself I just thought "that's it, no need to resist", relaxed all my muscles while slipping deeper and deeper. Then I cannot explain what force worked but I started to rise (as pushed up to the surface). When my body emerged at the surface, my cousin instantly jumped to me and pulled me out. Apparently family saw what happened and were looking for me under water and on the surface for a good few minutes but without luck. It was lake with low visibility. GUYS, INFLATABLES ARE BULLSHAIT.
Load More Replies...
RedMarbles 1 year ago
A lot of discussion about "quick" and "silent." Guessing by "quick," they mean the time it takes someone to go under. Once under, it takes a bit of time to drown. I imagine that's pretty quiet for those above the water as well. At any rate, it's a good reminder that someone drowning may not draw much attention.
naksaystheduck 1 year ago
A few weeks ago, I went swimming at the beach, the waves did not seem dangerous at all. A quite small one was powerful enough to drag me under water and I got turned around and around, every time I tried to get back up on my feet again, another small wave caught me again, my head got pushed under water and smashed on the ground (I was just a few meters away from shore, the water was maybe 1,20m high), this was the first time in 37 years of my life that I truly felt terrified to die. I needed all my energy to gasp for some air between the waves, no chance to call for help. My friend was sitting right in front of me, nobody noticed anything. I was not able to give any signal with my arms, either. Luckily I somehow managed to get back up again and crawl back onto the sand. 50m away I could see an ambulance coming for another swimmer who also got caught up in the tiny waves. It is so scary when you feel that helpless.
Christoph Pipoli 1 year ago
But you're still alive...so how long did you keep them underwater until you came up with this hypothesis?🤔🫢
Eric Williams 1 year ago
NEGATIVE!! Drowning is frantic, primal struggle to survive! "It is concluded that, in addition to the physical effort to keep the airway above the water, followed by the struggle to breath-hold, there is a period of pain, often described as a 'burning sensation' as water enters the lung" (NIH) I'm a retired lifeguard.
Whitefox 1 year ago
I nearly did drown in a wave pool at a water park. It was silent, and Thank Gawd another swimmer noticed me and pulled me out because the life guard was too busy eye balling the girl in the too tight bikini across the pool. That was almost my last vision.
Load More Replies... #13
Not in hotels anymore, but spent 15ish years there. People die in hotels all the time. Every hotel I've worked at has their stories, and the ones with indoor open atriums are the worst. Sometimes it's just natural causes (I've had twice where someone had a heart attack in the middle of an event) but sometimes it's drug overdoes or suicides.
Hans Georg 1 year ago
I once saw a man had fallen out of the window, not in russia, but on my way to work when I walked towards the hotel. Not a good sight early in the morning. First responder were already there.
#14
There are no guaranteed results with therapy. It’s all subjective and based on what you put into it/the connectedness with the counselor. I say this as many clients have told me they compare it to going to the gym..
#15
Used to be a railroad conductor. Derailments happen all the time. Like multiple per day. You only hear about the major crashes.
#16
When you brush your teeth, don't rinse with anything afterwards, just spit out the toothpaste. You get more benefit from the fluoride sitting on your teeth than just rinsing it off.
Dave Burley 1 year ago
Nope. This is nasty. I need all the bits I've cleaned from my teeth out of my mouth.
#17
Cell phones dropped in water. Step Zero: salt water? Forget about it. Step one Do NOT put your phone in rice to dry it out. There are two problems with this. The moisture of your newly damaged phone will strip minerals off the rice, and those minerals will now be free to contribute to the corrosion of the circuits. The other problem is the amount of time rice would remove moisture from your phone is insane. FYI anecdotal evidence perpetuates this myth because sometimes phones work for no reason. Just lucky
Step two, remove the battery. Can't do that at least power the device off asap. Like if your stuff isn't backed up ASAFP. Do not use the device.
Step three, take your phone to a repair shop. They will disassemble it, they will scrub all components with isopropyl alcohol, and heat everything. They will reassemble everything and pray. They will test everything and let you know if more repairs are necessary but more importantly they will attempt to backup any data that isn't in the cloud.
Source: I personally repaired about 5,000 water damaged phones over four years.
Bonus fact. Water resistance is damaged by chlorine and exposure to water in general.
#18
Bookstores do not mark-up the price of the books. The publisher sets the price and we get a discount, usually around 30- 40%, when we order them wholesale. The reason some places can sell them cheaper is either that they buy them in huge quantities for their own warehouses and pay their workers poorly (B&N) or they make ZERO profit off selling books at all and pay their workers even worse (Amazon.)
Also, if an indie bookstore can't get the book you want around the holidays, there's a good chance that Amazon ordering WAY more than they will ever sell and holding them in warehouses in case the book gets popular is the reason. Then Amazon returns everything they didn't use to the publisher in January, f*****g over the publishers who may have put out the money to print more copies they didn't need, the authors who could thought those books had been sold, the wholesale warehouses who now have no space for new releases, and booksellers who dealt with a*****e customers during the busiest time of the year.
Rachel Ashwell 1 year ago
I wish people would stop supporting Amazon. I don't think Bezos needs another 500 million dollar yacht.
#19
Lots of very talented and successful criminal defense attorneys can’t make enough money from retained clients, so they also take on court appointments (not all court appointments go to public defenders, at least in Texas). I’ve seen defendants fire really good court appointed lawyers to hire mediocre attorneys simply because of the misconception that court appointed lawyers are bad. So called “free world lawyers” aren’t always great and some of the best criminal defense attorneys are public defenders.
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
Or...you are the Orange God and your attorney tells you that you are out of your tiny mind. Amazing he can find one. to rep him.
#20
PLEASE clean off your shoes after you hike, it is SO easy for invasive weeds to hitch a ride on your shoes and nest in the next place you take them (like your backyard)
#21
Live Soundboard engineers. If everything goes right, no one knows you exist, but the second anything goes wrong it is immediately your fault. One of the most under appreciated jobs out there.
CHRIS DOMRES 1 year ago
The reason I no longer attend live concerts is that most of the people running the mixer think the sound system should sound like a car stereo with overwhelming bass and deafening sound pressure levels. Translate their mix to just a solo piano and all you would hear would be the bottom octave and maybe a few high notes.
#22
Not all railroad crossings are automatically closed by train approaching (usually some older ones but even brand new types when there is a severe fault), so there's always a small chance you might get hit. These cases are obviously a severe incident that will be investigated and someone will probably get punished, but it will unfortunately be too late for you. If you can, always slow down and look to both sides before you cross.
Mavis 1 year ago
I want to add, if you've ever seen videos of a train hitting a vehicle, it can seem like the train is not even slowing down. But I can assure you the train driver is actually slamming on the emergency brakes every single time. It just takes forever to stop a 5000 ton train is all.
#23
Those $25 t-shirts you buy online cost the company about $0.02 each. They'll buy a case of 500 shirts for about $10.
#24
Most grocery stores make about 7¢ profit for every $100.00 spent on the "middle" of the store.
Most profit comes from the perimeter departments.
Victoria 1 year ago
If I remember my reading, it's the other way around. Fresh produce, dairy and meat have very thin margins as they're perishable. That's what the stores throw out the most. The middle is where they make money. Plus 7 cents on a 100 dollar? I call BS. This whole thing is nonsense on stilts.
#26
Working in delis where you get fresh sliced meat and cheese. A family owned grocery slicer is always more sanitary than a chain deli. Without fail.
Typically, family owned has two slicers, one for meat one for cheese. They always wipe them down between customers. Why? A . Business is slower B. They know all the customers C. Customer is really watching.
Chain grocery rarely wipe down the blade. It's all about the speed of service. It's POLICY to not wipe it down at most chains except on even numbered hours or at the half, even if you just sliced pastrami and are doing Turkey next. One place I worked it was every third hour. So gross. I had to quit.
Family owned is more pricey, better quality.
New Horizons 1 year ago
False. Grocery stores also are supposed to wipe between meats and cheeses.
#27
The manager is responsible for the horrible requirements on job descriptions, not the recruiter. We try our best to convince them they are ridiculous.
#28
No decent to pro chef remembers recipes (except if it is mandatory or most likely their favorite) most good chefs learn techniques and skills which is far more useful than remembering how to make specific dishes, this of course does not include simple recipes like mashed potatoes and what not.
#29
If a column fails then it's very likely the whole building fails.
Daniela Lavanza 1 year ago
Was the pic chosen on purpose? If I see a part of the structure of a building starting to bend, I try to get out immediately.
#30
IT here. 90% of our fixes come from Google. Even corporate systems can mostly be googled. Most of us have no particular training at the field level. Sure, we pick up tricks along the way, but we largely wing it. Help desk folks are even worse. They largely hire right off the street.
#31
Most plants you buy in stores are not grown from seeds, but are multiplied by taking a cutting off of a mother plant.
Aileen Grist 1 year ago
Too many that I've bought have no roots either. The first thing I do now is to check the roots of the plant once I get it home. Others are mainly pot bound from being kept in too small a pot. Poor plants!!
#32
It's not really a "professional secret" but more people should know; you can use the Inspector on any browser to change the text of anything on any website and have it look 100% genuine. Again not a secret but a lot of people don't know about this. It's noteworthy since a lot of people still will look for mismatched font or spacing or other tells that something has been photoshopped, but that is utterly meaningless. Can make screenshots that look exactly like a real post with 2 seconds of effort.
#33
The overwhelming majority of governing in the US is done by literal amateurs - almost all city councils and school boards are volunteers (or get paid a few thousand stipend) and many state legislators don’t make anywhere near a full time salary.
Your local school board and city council hold a meeting each month. It’s 100% free and open to the public. Most are conducted in rooms full of empty chairs.
If you know or care who is president of the United States but do not know the name of your city or village council representative you are getting exactly the government you deserve.
The above mentioned government bodies will frequently look for volunteer citizens to sit on various types of advisory committees. If you’re are interested in how your city/town/school district/ etc. is governed I bet you could find a way to get involved.
SlightlyTarnished 1 year ago
Well, of course most small cities and towns are governed by "amateurs" and volunteers, there are few if any career politicians and public servants hanging around. Nothing inherently wrong with this, it actually works if the volunteer open minded, capable of critical thinking, and has the best interest of the community in mind. The big issue recently, in my opinion, are the rightwing religious activist groups taking over school boards, they have no interest in education, only their feeble minded repressive ideas of sex and religion. The US is still feeling the ugly pinch of the Puritans 400 years after their arrival.
#34
I'm a lawyer and people CONSTANTLY argue with me about whether they "winner" in a lawsuit "have to" pay the other side's legal fees (in America, they usually don't). But people will straight up just say I'm wrong... like guys... it's my job. If the loser had to pay, I'd be rich asf. The fact that everyone pays their own fees is FREAKING WHY rich people can abuse the system.
#35
That pretty much everything in a grocery store bakery comes frozen in a box.
#36
Breathing isn't done the way most people think. Most people think they take a deep breath, and their lungs/chest cavity expands. It's the other way around. We use the muscles in and around our chest to expand our chest cavity, which creates a suction that draws air into our lungs.
Too much tension in those muscles makes them act like a corset and prevents you from breathing deeply. So most people who get stressed and can't breath need to get a real massage more frequently.
Roger9er 1 year ago (edited)
If you want to breathe deeply and get enough oxygen into your body, you don't expand your chest when you inhale, but your belly. To become saturated with oxygen (short-term), you exhale excessively - i.e. longer than normal, and inhale deeply in a calm and controlled manner. Hold for 5 seconds and exhale slowly. Repeat this 10x and you will feel your fingertips tingling with the oxygenated blood in your body.
#37
Stop using Q-tips to clean wax out of your ears. All you are doing is packing it further in and clogging your ear canals until the wax turns to a rock against your eardrum. Highly recommend using Debrox or some sweet oil and then flushing with warm water instead!
Sincerely,
A doctor
#38
I’m an archaeologist, we got a find, I googled what it could be, that's what we wrote down… admittedly a specialist will confirm but there's a lot that we don’t know but hey that’s why we have specialists.
#39
That the hearing implants my company makes do not make your ears work again. They work through vibration through bone conduction.
#40
You're not saving energy/money if you turn off your AC in the summer. Houses are very good at keeping heat in, not letting it out. So when you finally turn your AC on, it's gonna take so long for your system to satisfy/get to the desired temperature that you might as well have kept it on all day. It'll also wear your system out faster because it'll be running for so long If you're really concerned about saving on your electric bills, just turn your AC up between 2-4 degrees higher than you normally would. Even 2 degrees can make a big difference.
What do you think ?
Tracy Wallick 1 year ago (edited)
US military here, to dispel several misconceptions (with the obvious caveat that there are differences between different countries' militaries): 1) Only a small percentage of the military are boots-on-ground infantry. The overwhelming majority of personnel work in maintenance, healthcare, logistics, administration, etc. 2) We're not a bunch of robotic, unfeeling drones. We're human beings with human feelings, same as civilians. There's an entire culture of military humor. And it's difficult to describe our sense of camaraderie to those who haven't experienced it; you may know nothing about the guy next to you, but you know you'd protect them with your life if it came down to it, and they'd do the same for you. No, the military is not perfect, but neither is any other organization made up of human beings. 3) Please stop calling us murderers and baby killers. Even those in combat positions don't *want* to kill people, but when you're in a situation where your choice is to let someone kill you and your friends or to shoot back... well, you can only know how you would react when you find yourself in that scenario yourself.
Shane S 1 year ago
Insurance companies want you healthy. I’m not going to defend an entire industry that’s severely flawed but I will defend that point, at least. You are cheaper when you’re healthy. It’s just plain math. Take your meds. Go see your primary care doctor. Get your Obamacare-required one free preventative visit a year and do your mammograms and colonoscopies- which are usually free too. Catching a disease early is much cheaper than having to treat it later. Also, everyone in the US is out to make money on your healthcare. Drs and hospitals can be just as greedy. They just have better PR because they are in the room with you when you get your diagnosis whereas the insurance company is not. Most times your employer chooses how good your insurance coverage is going to be and pays accordingly.
Admiralu 1 year ago
Not all employers offer health insurance. Not all mammograms are free either. Dr. visits can cost $50-$100 now with 15-20,000 deductibles, including separate deductibles for medications, which are another racket. Many people can't afford their meds and insurance companies are denying care more than ever
Load More Replies...
Jerusalem Cat Syndrome 1 year ago
Yet another list compiled from just stealing another site's post (DeMilked). Of course, that site doesn't bother with silly things like citing sources.
Tracy Wallick 1 year ago (edited)
US military here, to dispel several misconceptions (with the obvious caveat that there are differences between different countries' militaries): 1) Only a small percentage of the military are boots-on-ground infantry. The overwhelming majority of personnel work in maintenance, healthcare, logistics, administration, etc. 2) We're not a bunch of robotic, unfeeling drones. We're human beings with human feelings, same as civilians. There's an entire culture of military humor. And it's difficult to describe our sense of camaraderie to those who haven't experienced it; you may know nothing about the guy next to you, but you know you'd protect them with your life if it came down to it, and they'd do the same for you. No, the military is not perfect, but neither is any other organization made up of human beings. 3) Please stop calling us murderers and baby killers. Even those in combat positions don't *want* to kill people, but when you're in a situation where your choice is to let someone kill you and your friends or to shoot back... well, you can only know how you would react when you find yourself in that scenario yourself.
Shane S 1 year ago
Insurance companies want you healthy. I’m not going to defend an entire industry that’s severely flawed but I will defend that point, at least. You are cheaper when you’re healthy. It’s just plain math. Take your meds. Go see your primary care doctor. Get your Obamacare-required one free preventative visit a year and do your mammograms and colonoscopies- which are usually free too. Catching a disease early is much cheaper than having to treat it later. Also, everyone in the US is out to make money on your healthcare. Drs and hospitals can be just as greedy. They just have better PR because they are in the room with you when you get your diagnosis whereas the insurance company is not. Most times your employer chooses how good your insurance coverage is going to be and pays accordingly.
Admiralu 1 year ago
Not all employers offer health insurance. Not all mammograms are free either. Dr. visits can cost $50-$100 now with 15-20,000 deductibles, including separate deductibles for medications, which are another racket. Many people can't afford their meds and insurance companies are denying care more than ever
Load More Replies... Jerusalem Cat Syndrome 1 year ago
Yet another list compiled from just stealing another site's post (DeMilked). Of course, that site doesn't bother with silly things like citing sources.
You May Like Applicant Has Zero Tolerance For Ridiculous Job Offer, Ends Call After Hearing "Benefits" WFH Worker Wants To Relocate To Grieve Loss With Family, Gets A “Cold Reminder” Instead Woman Reminds Coworker Of Their Work Hours, Is Shocked When They Use It Against Her
Gabija Palšytė
Mantas Kačerauskas
Justinas Keturka
Related on Bored Panda
